Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF)
has urged those opposed to the setting up of Fulani herdsmen settlements,
popularly called Ruga, across the country to drop their opposition and allow
the policy take off.
The Forum submitted that the
Northern region has been the worst hit by the farmers/herders clashes compared
to the Southeast and Southwest geopolitical zones.
It, therefore, called on
President Muhammadu Buhari as well as the 19 northern states governors need to
act without further delay to save the situation.
In an interview with Sun
newspaper, the ACF General Secretary, Anthony Sani, said: “RUGA is settlements
of nomads which the federal government and some state governments want to
encourage in bigger sizes in the hope of encouraging sedentary way of life away
from nomadic culture that is amenable to clashes between herdsmen and farmers.
“In order to stave off such
tendencies, the governments wish to help nomads establish and manage bigger
settlements that are still called RUGA for the express purpose of encouraging
sedentary way of life and the husbandry leading to establishment and management
of ranches for common good.
“I, therefore, do not see the
wisdom of the opposition to open grazing by nomads and also opposition at the
same time to any programmes as precursor for establishment and management of
ranches that is the preferred national choice.
“More distressing is the argument
by the opposition to the scheme that government has no reasons for getting
involved in ranches that are private business concerns.
“And they do this strident
opposition without due regard to the fact that governments have established
river basins and dams in order to improve productivity in agriculture across
the country. Governments have also been subsidizing agricultural inputs like
tractors and fertilizers. We are also aware that there are certain private
concerns that are regarded as ‘too big to fail’.
“Hence, the significance of
bailout to banks and discos for distribution of power. As Nigerians, nomads are
also entitled to some form of support from government.
“It is, therefore, gross
injustice to allow the activities of some criminal herdsmen who do not act on
behalf of the entire herdsmen, majority of whom are innocent to make some
Nigerians oppose any action of governments on herdsmen, however good.”
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